UC Recognizes Students, Faculty and Staff Who Exemplify the Spirit of UC s Just Community

University of Cincinnati students, faculty, staff and administrators all worked together to frame the

Just Community

set of values to build a civic education program around the ideals of justice, civility, learning and scholarship. UC’s 15th annual Just Community Awards will be presented by Mitchel D. Livingston, UC Chief Diversity Officer and vice president of Student Affairs, at the

University Recognition Ceremony at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 6, in the Great Hall of Tangeman University Center

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The awards recognize members of the university community who practice the ideals of UC’s Just Community virtually every day, both in and out of the classroom.

The 2012 recipients of UC’s Just Community Awards are:

Cecily Goode

– Goode is director of the UC One Stop Center, where UC students take care of the business of being a student. She was nominated in the category of community engagement, with examples including her strong advocacy of UC’s Gen-1 House for first-generation college students and her regular participation as a volunteer at Commencement. As a worker, she was described as a highly professional and trusted colleague who provides outstanding service to students. Goode earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UC and was a Darwin T. Turner scholar.

Jonathan Hilton

– The Truman Scholarship Finalist and University Honors student is a junior at UC and is pursuing a major in Spanish and interdisciplinary studies. Hilton was nominated for his dedication to UC’s Just Community in the categories of learning, living and community engagement. He is aspiring to eventually practice immigration law to create fairer immigration policies and reduce prejudice against immigrant groups. This academically talented student has enlarged his future vision with UC’s study abroad opportunities, starting with a trip to Nicaragua as an incoming freshman.

Rama Kasturi

– Kasturi is an adjunct associate professor for the department of pharmacology and cell biophysics in the UC College of Medicine. She was nominated in the categories of demonstrating UC’s Just Community principles in the areas of work and community engagement. As assistant dean in 1997-98, she established the Postdoctoral Scholars Advisory Committee in the College of Medicine to advocate for better employment benefits and training guidelines for postdoctoral scholars. She established a forum in 1998 where postdoctoral scholars could present, evaluate and discuss their work. Her efforts to advance the postdoctoral program have gained attention from other universities.

George Wharton

– Wharton recently retired from UC after serving more than 17 years as director of UC’s Office of Equal Opportunity. He was nominated for a Just Community Award in the categories of working and community engagement. Wharton was credited with reorganizing the UC Office of Equal Opportunity to better serve the university community as well as in playing a key role in creating the university’s diversity plan that strives to make UC a more vibrant, diverse and inclusive organization. He has also applied the Just Community principles to serving the Cincinnati community, in such positions as chair of the Cincinnati Human Relations Committee, chair of the Education Day Project for the African-American Leadership Development Program of the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, and a diversity training consultant for Hamilton County Job and Family Services.

RECLAIM

– The RECLAIM Peer Advocate program under the UC Women’s Center was nominated for modeling the Just Community ideals of community engagement. The program recruits and extensively prepares student peer advocates to respond to the needs of students who are victims of sexual assault or intimate partner violence, including a 24-hour hotline. “The RECLAIM peer advocates strive for excellence by helping those who have experienced sexual assault and/or intimate partner violence reach their fullest potential and continue to pursue their education and personal growth at the university,” says Regan Johnson, program director for the UC Student Wellness Center.